Notice Me
by tlh2009
Summary: Luna knows she and Neville would be great together. But how can she get him to realize it too, when he's always looking at Hannah?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This story was inspired by Invisible by Taylor Swift, which is a llittle cliche I suppose, but I hope to make it original. And this idea just wouldn't leave me alone!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, not JK Rowling.**

"…and that's how you catch nargles." I finished my explanation with a nod, turning my head to see Neville's reaction. He wasn't looking at me, and judging by the look on his face, he wasn't paying attention either. I followed his gaze across the grass and sighed. Of course.

"You know Neville, if you want to talk to Hannah, you should just go over there. No need to sit here with me." I told him, trying not to sound annoyed. Or sad.

He looked at me, ashamed. "I'm sorry Luna. I was trying to pay attention, really, but, well, she's just awfully pretty. That doesn't mean I can ignore you though, I'm sorry."

"Why don't you just talk to her? Ask her out?" I asked him, though I knew what he was going to say. We had this conversation often.

"Oh, she'd never go out with me. She could have any guy…maybe I could find some way to impress her. What do you think would impress her?" Neville looked at me hopefully.

"Well, I don't know." I said. "I don't know her. You shouldn't have to do anything special to get her attention though. If she doesn't like you for you, she doesn't deserve you."

"That's sweet of you to say Luna, but I really want to do something to get her attention. You're a girl, what would get your attention?"

I thought about telling him that he already had my attention. Instead I just said, "I'm not a normal girl, you know that. You don't want advice from someone as odd as me."

He shook his head. "Don't say that about yourself. But maybe it would be better to talk to someone who knows her better."

I stood up. "Yes, but I still think you shouldn't have to do anything special. You should just walk up to her and ask her out. If she doesn't want you, especially after you killed Voldemort's snake last year, then I just don't think it's worth it. I've got to go, there's some homework I forgot about."

That last part was a lie. I just really didn't want to talk about Hannah anymore.

"Oh, ok." Neville looked up at me, squinting in the sun. "I'll see you later then?"

"Sure." I said. I love spending time with Neville, I just wish he wouldn't talk about Hannah so much. He does it more and more these days. I'm still hoping he'll get over it. For whatever reason, she doesn't notice him. Apparently she's blind. If he could just get over her, maybe I could make him understand how I feel about him.

I gave him a little wave as I walked away, but he was already staring at Hannah again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Sorry it's been a little while since I've written. School and all that. But this chapter's a bit longer, so there's that. Luna's thoughts are italicized. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Still not JK Rowling.**

I sighed and looked towards the door. _If he's not here in five minutes, I'm leaving._ I thought. _This is just silly. It was his idea to meet here, he set the time!_ I continued to grumble in my head. Five minutes later I got up and headed for the door. Neville came rushing in, nearly knocking me over.

"Sorry, sorry," Neville gasped out. "I'm late, I know."

"Yes," I said. "Did the wrackspurts get you?" _They better have, they're the only acceptable excuse for being half an hour late._

"Wha-? No, I was talking to Hannah. She came to the common room just to talk to me! I think I'm gonna ask her to Hogsmeade. I mean, I don't think that'd be too much. D'you? And if that goes well, I can ask her to the ball." Neville was talking very fast and it took a moment for what he said to sink in.

"Why did she come to talk to you?" I asked, instantly suspicious. People accuse me of being oblivious, but I notice things. Like how Hannah would want to go to the ball with Neville so people will talk about her and how wonderful she must be to be on the arm of such a big war hero. She's the kind of person who thinks quite a lot about what people say about her. Waste of time, if you ask me, but no one ever does.

"You know, just about normal stuff. She said she's been wanting to talk to me for a while, but couldn't get up the nerve." Neville was smiling broadly, and I really didn't want to bring him down.

"That's rather ridiculous. She has to have noticed you staring at her constantly, so why wouldn't she talk to you?" Couldn't find the nerve, hmph. She never had problems talking to guys before. _She's feeding into his ego. She knows he likes her and she wants him to think she was intimidated when she knows it's really him._

Neville frowned. "Why aren't you happy for me?" he asked, starting to get angry.

"I just want you to be careful. I know her reputation and-"

"Well maybe she actually likes me! Is that so hard to comprehend? I'm not that big of a loser, am I?" Yes, he was definitely angry now.

"Neville, you know I don't think you're a loser, and if you do think that, you obviously don't know me very well. You're smart and brave and handsome, and Hannah would be lucky to have you. I just think it's rather suspicious that she's just now talking to you, right before the big ball. She knows whoever goes with you will get a lot of attention, and she thrives on attention. But anyway, there's an infestation of nargles near the charms classroom and I really need to go get rid of them. They're very bothersome to have around." I turned to go, and Neville didn't stop me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: ****I live in Alabama and I'm pretty sure JK Rowling doesn't. Therefore, I'm fairly certain I'm not JK Rowling.**

That weekend, the one before the big dance, was a Hogsmeade weekend. I went with Ginny and Hermione to a dress shop Ginny kept talking about. They were very excited about getting new dresses. I suppose it's nice that everyone is so focused on having fun; it's such a normal thing.

"I saw the prettiest dress the last time I was here," Ginny explained as we walked into a shop I'd never been in. She'd said it was fairly new, and was filled with fancy muggle clothes. "I hope they still have it. It was perfect!"

"I'm not even sure what sort of dress I want," Hermione said as we walked in. "There are so many! Maybe I'll just wear one I have…"

"No! We're all getting beautiful dresses so we can have a fabulous time at the ball." Ginny contradicted.

"Oh, I'm not going." I told them. This caused both girls to stop flipping through racks and stare at me.

"Luna, don't be ridiculous! Of course you're going. Why wouldn't you?" Ginny exclaimed.

"I don't have a date. " I explained simply.

"Well, you don't have to have a date. You can just go and dance with lots of people." Hermione told me.

"No, everyone else has a date. I'm not going to dance with other people's dates. I don't mind not going, really. It's probably better anyway. I think I'll make sure there aren't any nargle swarms around the castle while everyone's in one place." I hoped they believed I was fine with it.

"Oh, no, you will not! We'll get you a date." Ginny stated, as though that was the final word on the subject.

"Really, I can't think of anyone I'd like to go with anyway." I told them.

Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment, and then spoke quietly. "This is about Neville and Hannah going together, isn't it?"

Ginny looked surprised. "That's true? Why would he go with her? You're so much better than her! She's a bi-"

"I don't know, Ginny, but that's hardly the point." Hermione interrupted.

"Neville can do whatever he pleases. It really doesn't matter. I'm not going to the ball." I tried to end the conversation.

"Luna, you have to go to the dance. It won't be fun without you. Please? I'm sure Hermione won't mind you dancing with Ron a bit, we all know he's prone to stepping on toes." Ginny pleaded.

Hermione laughed. "We can all go as a group," she offered. "It really wouldn't be the same without you."

I sighed. "Well, alright then. I suppose the nargles can wait."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Wow, I am so so sorry it's taken me this long to update! It's been about 3 years I think. Not sure anybody cares about this story anymore, but oh well. I could explain about how crazy it's been and how time got away from me and I didn't have any inspiration or motivation to write, but let's just get to the story shall we? (It's an extra long chapter, at least.)

The day of the ball came, and Ginny and Hermione insisted the three of us get ready together. They said it was more fun that way. I had a sneaking suspicion that they wanted to make sure I didn't wear anything too weird. I'm not sure what they're worried about, they saw the dress I'm wearing already. They said it looked lovely, though I knew they wouldn't have picked it for themselves. I picked it because it was really bright blue and had sparkles around the neckline and feathers on the skirt.

They were already getting ready when I arrived. Ginny was going to do my hair and makeup, and Hermione was loaning me a pair of shiny silver heels.

"You're going to look beautiful, even more than usual." Hermione assured me, as she applied eye shadow to her right eyelid. "Neville will wonder why he didn't ask you. He'll be so jealous!"

"Yeah, there's no way Hannah will look nearly as good as I'm going to make you look." Ginny said.

I thanked them and waited patiently for my Ginny to have time to fix me up. I knew it wouldn't take long. Ginny had said that since my dress had so much embellishment, I wouldn't need crazy makeup or anything. I was glad. I don't like the feel of a lot of makeup.

We finished getting ready just before time to meet Harry and Ron. Hermione was wearing a long red dress with a slit up one side and her hair was pinned up. Ginny was wearing a shiny, short gold dress and her hair was down with braids on the sides. She had curled my hair nicely, and even the way she did my makeup didn't make me feel as confined as makeup usually does. I felt good about the way I looked.

We went downstairs to meet the guys.

"Wow, you look great!" Harry exclaimed when he saw you. "Especially you, love." he said, giving Ginny a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Bloody hell, Hermione!" Ron said, staring at her. She blushed and took his arm. We went off to the dance.

The Great Hall was decorated wonderfully, and it was already packed with students dancing and having a good time when we arrived. I didn't immediately see Neville and Hannah, but I told myself not to worry about them and just have fun with my friends.

A fast song was playing so we headed out onto the dance floor as a group. It was a lot of fun. I love to dance, it's so freeing.

"Ok, I'm glad you two made me come," I called to Hermione and Ginny over the music. "This is fun!"

And it was fun, at least until the first slow song came on. I left the dance floor and went to get punch. That's when I saw Neville and Hannah. They were swaying to the beat, her arms around his neck, and his around her waist. Neville's back was to me, but I locked eyes with Hannah. She smirked at me. I turned away and walked off. I found a small table where I could see everything but I wasn't in the middle of it. I drank my punch and hummed along to the music.

I stayed like that for a while, and then suddenly Neville was standing in front of me.

"Hi, Luna," he said. He looked rather nervous.

"Hi, Neville. Are you having a nice time?" I responded. He nodded and gestured to the chair beside me. I waved my hand, giving him permission to sit.

"I wanted to apologize," he said, looking at me. "For the last time we spoke. I was rude and I shouldn't have been. I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright." I told him. "Friends have little spats like that. It's ok."

"Thank you. So, did you come with anyone?" he asked.

"No, not a date anyway. I came with Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Harry. I thought about not coming since I didn't have a date, but the girls talked me into it."

"I'm glad you came. It's a fun night. And you look amazing, by the way." he seemed almost shy saying the last part.

"Oh, thank you." I said. "Hermione and Ginny helped me pick it out. Or, I picked it out and they approved it because it wasn't too odd. Ginny did my hair and makeup too, you know I'm useless with that kind of thing."

"Well, you really do look great." he said, smiling. Then he paused. "Well, I should be getting back to Hannah. I just wanted to make sure things were ok with us."

"We're fine, Neville. Go have fun with your date." I hoped I sounded sincere on the last part. I wanted Neville to have fun, but I couldn't really care less about how Hannah's night went.

Neville must have bought it though, because he nodded and left. I watched him go.

He'd only been gone a moment or two when Hermione and Ginny swooped in and joined me at my table.

"What did Neville say?" Ginny asked eagerly.

"He was just apologized for a bit of rudeness the last time we spoke. Checking in."

Ginny looked disappointed with my answer. "That's all?"

I shrugged. "He said I looked nice, and I explained that that was all because of the two of you." I told her.

"Oh, no it's not." Hermione contradicted me. "You always look great, we just added a bit. Well, mostly Ginny added a bit."

Ginny was focused on something else. "Nice?! He just said you looked nice? That's the word he used?"

"No, he said amazing, but he was just being polite." I responded.

"Amazing, that's better. He may not be as thickheaded as he seems. After all you definitely look better than Hannah. Did you see her dress? Looks like a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen. She's trying way too hard. It really makes her seem a bit desperate." Ginny snickered.

"Ginny," Hermione started.

"It's the truth!" Ginny said. "We all know she's just in it for the status. She wants to make sure people look at her, and see that she's with Neville."

"She could really like him." I spoke up. "I mean, he's an amazing guy, surely she sees that."

Hermione nodded. "She could, but everyone knows she only holds onto a guy until something 'better' comes along. She'll just break his heart."

"If she breaks his heart, I'll break her." I said, with uncharacteristic malice. I couldn't help it. The thought of someone hurting Neville made me so incredibly furious.

Ginny grinned. "That's a good attitude. We need to focus that on making sure she never gets the chance to hurt him."

Hermione and I agreed, and then I was being pulled back on the dance floor with them.

"Step one," Ginny said over the music, "is for you to look like you're having the time of your life and you don't even care about them."

"Yeah, show him what he's missing!" Hermione told me.

So we danced. The guys joined us after a few songs and it was a big group dance again. When another slow song came on, Ginny and Hermione both offered to let me dance with their boyfriends. I declined, saying I wanted more punch. I went and got a glass and found another table to sit at where I could watch all the people dancing. I enjoyed sipping my punch and people watching for a while, when another person appeared in front of me, taking me by surprise. It was Hannah.

She walked up and sat down in the chair beside me. "Couldn't find a boy to be your date?" she asked me, feigning pity.

"Didn't want a date." I told her. "I'm having a great time with my friends."

"I'm sure." she said. "Don't think I don't know how you feel about Neville. But it's just too bad. He's going to be mine."

I had never expected her to be this up front about her intentions. "That's nice." I said.

"We will be. Until I can move on to a better model, of course." she laughed. "Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know that I could destroy you, if I wanted to. So don't give me a reason to want to."

I looked at her for a moment. "You don't scare me."

"I can destroy your friendship with Neville. Just remember that, Loony." And she got up and walked away.

I wasn't sure what she meant by that. Neville would never stop being my friend just because she said so. Though, for all I knew, she could put him under a spell or slip him a potion or something. Neville can be too trusting, it probably wouldn't be difficult to slip him something secretly. I'd keep on the lookout for that, in addition to my usual look out for nargles. I briefly wondered if she could use nargles against him, but decided that since no one else will admit they exist, it'd be hard to use them for anything. I decided I wouldn't tell anyone what Hannah had said. Who knows what Ginny would do.

I sat and finished my punch and soon Ginny and Hermione came and got me and pulled me back to the dance floor, where we danced for the rest of the night.


End file.
